Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-19
THE

The ordinance OF this city governing
~nuisances is as complete q protection
against the city falling into an unhealthy
condition as legislation can provide. There
are fines provided for it's infringement
which will wake up the most careless to a
healthy respect of it's observance. The
most exact definition OF each offence that
can possibly arise from indifference to the
welfare of the community is provided and
no citizen need be taken in the
enforcement OF the ordinance. The City
Marshal is charged with the duty of a
ing offenders OF their violation of the
ordinances when t~wenty.four hours are
given for compliance with the notice after
which the offender has himself to blame if
he does not attend the warning.
Mr.. Sharp. who comes here from Winni.
peg to introduce his sanitary system,
really only asks to be allowed to enforce
the city ordinance. There is, as The
MINER stated yesterday, an admirable
field in Butte fer a gentleman to undertake
such a work as he has made his business
elsewhere. The only trouble is that,
through q laxity in the enforcement OF the
ordinance, MI. Sharp or some other man
finds a field for his operations at all. The
appliances which Mr.. Sharp has put
in use elsewhere are not new in the East.
They nave been in use there for years.
Any person can procure the same or
similar convenient appliances for the re-
moval OF the contents OF vaults and garb-
age as he has or can procure.
The City Council can grant no f~fve-year
contract to any one for any purpose. If
they could the gas contract would have
held good. They do not require to pass an
ordinance to compel people to keep their
premises in clean. sanitary condition, be-
cause Ordinance No. 3 fills all requirements
in defining n~uisances and compelling their
abatement. All they can do is to give Mr..
Sharp or any one who brings satisfactory
proofthat they can and will undertake the
job of removing garbage, ETC., permission to
90 ahead. There are plenty OF men right here
who could undertake and carry out the
task just as well as Mr.. Sharp. This gen.
tleman, however, has systematized the bus
mess elsewhere and has experience
OF the requirements OF making
a thorough job of what he
undertakes. For this reason there can be
no objection to his receiving the authority
of the Council to introduce his sanitary
system here. But the Council cannot give
him an exclusive franchise, that is, confer
upon him the privilege OF serving the citi-
zens in the manner proposed to tn, exclu-
sion OF anyone else. That some such enter
prise is needed here-needed badly-is adj
mitted~ The carelessness that has grown
up in regard to decenty and the plainest
dictates of common sense must be checked.
The city authorities whose duty 1t is to EN-
force the ordinance defining n%uisances
should enforce it rigidly without fear or
favor. To leave the citizens without ex-
cuse, the offer Of any man should be well
coined who will introduce appliances to
carry out the provisions OF that ordinance
with the least discomfort to the commu-
nifty. If Mr.. Sharp will undertake the
work. we'll and good. He does not need an
exclusive franchise. If he is first in tie
field he will be likelyto secure it unopposed.
He can undertake the work with the more
confidence OF not meeting competition if his
service is 80 thorough as to gain general ap-
prevail.